Eric Shanteau (Lilburn, Ga./Longhorn Aquatics) put in two solid early season swims on the second evening at the Missouri Grand Prix, winning the 200m medley 1:59.75 and the 200m breaststroke in 2:11.17.
"To do the times I did tonight bodes really well for the rest of the summer,” said Shanteau, coached by Eddie Reese. “I’m really happy with how things have gone.” The prospects look good for him joining the textile sub 2:10 club on breaststroke. He got the better of Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) by 0.16sec.
Kitajima won the 100m over Shanteau, the American noting the value of his presence in the States this season: "He brings a whole new intensity to racing," said Shanteau. "He’s a racer. You can’t find anyone who’s more of a clutch swimmer than he is."
Shanteau's battle with cancer is well chronicled. In the mix of that struggle were a lot of people whose attitudes helped the swimmer get through, among them Reese. Take this from a 2009 interview with Reese: "At one point he said, 'I'm ready for all this cancer stuff to be over'. I said, 'It doesn't get over. Roll up your sleeves and get into it.' He's done that. A lot of times kids that age don't realize we're here to help people. Life and its realities were forced on Eric a lot earlier than he ever imagined. He's very conscious of other people going through similar battles to what he went through."
Among non-Americans keeping rivals at bay at the MGP were Canadians Annamay Pierse and Brent Hayden and US-based Tunisian Oussama Mellouli. Pierse clocked 2:28.51 in the 200m breaststroke, a couple of seconds down on the effort of Leisel Jones over at NSW Championships . Hayden took the 50m free in 22.56 and Mellouli took the 400m free in 3:53.11. Nick Thoman (US) took the 100m back a touch ahead of Ryan Lochte, both in the low 54s.
